"Water and Sustainable Development" is the topic of EXPO 2008 in Saragossa, which opened 12th of June. The exhibition claims to be the biggest water festival on earth. Over 100 countries and organizations are participating in the forum that intends to raise awareness on the importance of water as a precious resource and to encourage visitors to handle it responsibly. The EXPO 2008 could not have been better timed. Spain currently encounters its most severe drought since it began keeping records more than 60 years ago. Already fresh water levels in most national reservoirs are down by at least 50 percent, even though the expected summer heat has yet to come. The situation has worsened over the last months, especially in the region of Catalonia and its capital Barcelona. Public fountains and beach showers are shut down and citizens are no longer allowed to use water hoses or fill their swimming pools. But despite all efforts, the available amount of water is still not enough to satisfy the basic needs of Barcelona's population. In an unprecedented move, officials have therefore decided to use gigantic tankships to bring fresh water from France into the city.



But this will be no more than a drop in the bucket. In order to meet the long-term demand for fresh water, authorities have considered different options. Some of them are highly controversial, such as the idea of building a pipeline that would supply the city with fresh water from rivers located far away from Barcelona itself. Tensions between different regions and interest groups about a fair distribution of the scarce resource are already growing. It remains to be seen if the EXPO inspires decision makers to implement measures for a more sustainable water management. The exhibition will showcase a number of examples until mid-September. (Jöran Altenberg)



For further information, please see EXPO Saragossa 2008

http://www.expozaragoza2008.es/Home/seccion=3&idioma=en_GB.do



Speech of president Zapatero at the Expo opening (in Spanish)

http://www.la-moncloa.es/Presidente/Intervenciones/Discursos/prdi20080613.htm

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, June 2008